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Clip description
The station began when Jackie and Wogga’s parents built fences and began branding wild cattle and calling the place 'Mallapunyah’. Wogga may be a millionaire but he’s unable to read and write. Sitting under a tree, he explains to the interviewer how his siblings learned their lessons through correspondence classes with help from their mother. From the age of nine he was always on the road with his father, doing a grown man’s job, so he missed out on an education.
Curator’s notes
It’s very much a traditional family set-up with shares in the property being passed from father to son with little written down. Until now there have been no disputes over inheritance, mainly because there’s a genuine trust between the brothers and sisters. Filmed in 1980, this clip seems to perpetuate the tradition by holding a very long close-up on the silent Wogga while his sister talks at length. She is seen only briefly in a very wide shot. The film does hint there could be problems for future generations. It would be great to know whether the family has been able to weather the massive changes that have happened throughout Australia in the 21st century.
